Summary: It's a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different - something alive. His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. (wikipedia)

Summary: Schoolgirl Kuniko is kidnapped by a middle-aged man Iwazono when she is jogging. He tells her that he had a failed marriage which leaves him a deep and everlasting scar in his mind. He kidnaps her in search of a perfect marriage and intends to lock her in the room and 'educate' her.

Summary: The eruption of Mt. Fuji in 1707 released hordes of demons from deep inside the earth. Sakuya, the young daughter of a samurai killed fighting these demons, accepts a mission to travel to Mt. Fuji and defeat the evil spirits. Accompanying her on her journey are two veteran warriors who served her father, and Taro, a young kappa, or river spirit, whom she has adopted as her little brother. (imdb)

Summary: The story of a single mother who suffers from double vision; caring for her baby is a nerve- wrecking task that eventually leads her to a nervous breakdown. She is suspected of being a child abuser when things get out of control and her baby is taken away.

Summary: In Hanari-cho, a small and quiet bayside town by the sea, the firemen have not seen a fire for nearly twenty years. Each day passes eventlessly... until one day. The monotony of their daily lives is interrupted by the appearence of a bautiful femaile college student, Momoko (Suzuki Kyoka), who comes to visit her aunt. After catching a glimpse of Momoko, both Tatsuya (Takenaka Naoto) and Nobuyuki (Akai Hidekazu) can't stop thinking about her. Since then, the small town is not so quiet anymore... (KG)

Summary: A tough woman is dragging a weaker man deeper and deeper into crime. Woman cop Miki is chasing a wanted man when she stumbles on a crashed car and sees the driver, Koichi, ignite spilled petrol to kill himself and his passenger. She drags Koichi to safety, but the passenger dies. Miki says nothing to challenge the inquest finding of `accidental death', and when she visits Koichi in hospital he begins to understand that her complicity in his crime implies a sexual invitation... (The Movie Database)

Summary: The life of a urban planning official and that of an old fellow student, now project developer, are turned upside down by a chance encounter with a beauty obsessed by UFOs. (The Movie Database)

Summary: AMUKU TANTEI 2 is all about unexplainable things that inflict sheer terror on human beings and how they leave victims psychologically devastated. It is as much a true horror film as it is a psychological drama. Rest assured, certain scenes do get scary at times, though expect a bit more subtlety this time. Don't expect things clearly spelled out for you either, but more a visual language that explains things to a satisfying degree... (imdb)

Summary: 5 episodes in one single movie, every time new characters reveal their inner hidden true self. A good selection of Japanese directors. Most of the time, the characters meet each other, remember thing they thought lost forever, becoming friends and not least becoming aware of the power of seduction of the Other. Of course you have to be a fan of Japanese cinema in order to better perceive the selected short movies. (imdb)

Summary: A school was built on one of the Gates of Hell, behind which hordes of demons await the moment they will be free to roam the Earth. Hiruko is a goblin sent to Earth on a reconnaissance mission. He beheads students in order to assemble their heads on the demons' spider-like bodies. Hieda, an archaeology professor, and Masao, a haunted student, investigate the gory deaths and eventually battle Hiruko. (imdb)

Summary: Yukio is living a charmed life: he is a respected young doctor with a successful practice and a beautiful wife. His only problem is that his wife is suffering from amnesia, and her past is unknown. Things begin to fall apart, however, when both his parents die suddenly, killed by a mysterious stranger with Yukio's face. Only when Yukio confronts this stranger will the mystery of his identity, and his wife's past, be revealed. (imdb)

Summary: Hiroshi is a medical student plagued with amnesia after a road accident that took the life of his girlfriend Ryoko. Settling back into his parents' concrete apartment with his mind a blank sheet, he sleepwalks through the days like a ghost. (Midnight Eye)

Summary: Anthony is a businessman who lives in Tokyo with his wife, Yuriko, and son, Tom. Anthony often struggles with his temper, and while his late mother taught him it was important not to give himself over to rage, he can't control himself when an auto accident claims his son's life. As furious anger takes over Anthony's mind, his body undergoes a bizarre transformation -- his flesh turns to metal and an incredible variety of weapons begin to emerge from his body. (allmovie)

Summary: A young boy, Hikari, is transported into the future by a time machine, where a group of Shinsegumi vampires is threatening to take light away from the world forever thanks to the construction of a bomb fomented by a young woman's life. An elderly teacher, Momo Sariba, helps him to fight the monsters and fulfil his destiny: bringing light to the end of an era so that the following one will not be in darkness. (rottentomatoes)

Summary: A man wakes up to find himself locked in a tiny, cramped concrete room, in which he can barely move. He doesn't remember why he is there and where he came from. He has a terrible stomach injury and is slowly bleeding to death. (imdb)

Summary: The place is the down side of Yokohama. The atmosphere is international and the action fast. The hero is Maiku Hama - a delinquent turned private eye who operates out of the second floor of the local movie theater. (Tidepoint Pictures)

Summary: A fear-obsessed freelance cameraman (Tsukamoto) investigates an urban legend involving mysterious spirits that haunt the subways of Tokyo, leading him to a disturbing discovery. (Tartan Films)

Summary: A man sees his life changed for ever when his fiancee shoots herself. Baffled, he wants by all means to obtain such a weapon of destruction and he finds himself caught in a violent group of young vicious punks. They first beat him severely and then he seeks revenge with his fist, then with a gun. (imdb)

Summary: Twisted and macabre, Japanese cult film director Teruo Ishii's final oeuvre follows a dime-novel writer on a bizarre journey that involves a misshapen dwarf and bodiless limbs. After a night out, novelist Kobayashi is returning home when he sees a dwarf carrying a severed arm. What ensues is a strange and convoluted mystery that has Kobayashi aiding his detective friend Akechi in a kidnapping investigation. (Netflix)

Summary: Fans of Tetsuo:the Iron Man will find this film of interest: it is basically the same story, only as a short, and in color. All of the same elements are there: The salaryman played by Tomoro Toguchi; Shinya Tsukamoto playing a nemesis who remotely induces a robotic woman to attack Salaryman in the subway; the interlude with the drill-penis; the combination of both characters into a larger, metal-encrusted monster at the end of the film. The soundtrack has a great song by Chu Ishikawa... (imdb)

Summary: Three people in Tokyo take a surreal voyage of self-discovery through memory and nightmares. "O" intends suicide while talking on a cell-phone with a stranger he meets on line who plans a simultaneous suicide. Events take a horrifying turn. (imdb)

Summary: I opened my eyes to find myself in a locked room of a hospital. Can I get out?-- Get ready for a humorous yet suspenseful new roller coaster you won't be able to keep your eyes off of. (sensasian.com)

Summary: A businessman, Tsuda, runs into a childhood friend, Tajuki, on the subway. Tajuki is working as a semiprofessional boxer. Tsuda soon begins to suspect that Tajuki might be having an affair with his fiance Hizuru. After an altercation, Tsuda begins training rigorously himself, leading to an extremely bloody, violent confrontation. (imdb)

Summary: Sequel to "Tetsou" this time has the Iron Man transforming into cyberkinetic gun when a gang of vicious skinheads kidnap his son. When the skinheads capture him, they begin to experiment on him...speeding up the mutative process! (imdb)

Summary: When a Yakuza boss named Anjo disappears with 300 million yen, his chief henchman, a sadomasochistic man named Kakihari, and the rest of his mob goons go looking for him. After capturing and torturing a rival Yakuza member looking for answers, they soon realize they have the wrong man and begin looking for the man named Jijii who tipped them off in the first place... (imdb)

Favorites

When you sign up for Criticker, you'll be able to mark your favorite actors, directors and writers. Signing up is totally free and just takes a second!